Mango fruit softening response to postharvest heat treatment.
Benitez M. M., Acedo A. L. Jr., Jitareerat P., Kanlavanarat S.
Author Affiliation: Postharvest Technology Laboratory, Department of Horticulture, Leyte State University, Visca, Leyte 6521, Philippines.
: 811-816
Abstract : Mango cv. 'Namdokmai' fruits at mature-green stage were heat-treated by dipping in 50 or 55°C water for 5 min and stored at 25°C with 90-95% relative humidity. Fruits dipped in ambient water served as the control. Softening slowed down in response to heat treatment. The effect of the two heat treatments did not considerably differ. Concomitant with softening, the heat-treated fruits exhibited reduced pectin methylesterase [pectinesterase] (PME) and polygalacturonase (PG) activities in both peel and pulp tissues. Heat treatment at 55°C generally resulted in lower PME and PG activities than at 50°C. These results indicate that heat inhibition of ripening-associated softening is due to inhibition of pectin-degrading enzymes.